Rated M - Language, Suggestive Sexual Themes (Yaoi) Eventual Angstyness. (Yes, angstyness.)
Flash backs are separated with the gray lines, I would use all italics but I personally dislike reading walls of text that are italicized so… yeah. They are being told to the person that Cloud is talking to, but I'm just writing it out as a first person view to give you a better idea and to make my writing less awkward (Wouldn't be a good fan fic if it was 100% "And then we, and after that I, and then that's what she said) And the childhood flashbacks aren't really all that well written. I'm a bit older than a child so… hard to write as one. To be honest I'm not really happy with what I got, but I'll shut up and let you get to it.
He walked through the eerily tranquil building, with an escort in tow. Pictures of meadows, mountains, and lakes adorned the maroon walls, no doubt to inspire a false amicable setting. There were a few a people sitting around in a waiting room, looking anxious, sad, and upset. It reflected the melancholy of the place quite well.
He wasn't exactly feeling those thoughts however. He was after all forced to be here, which was a shame considering he barely had the money to pay for the service. Thankfully he wasn't paying. He didn't exactly know what to feel, he was a bit angry in having no saying of his being here but he had an idea it was going to be placed by boredom. Not to mention he hated talking to himself.
A secretary sitting behind a desk talking on the phone mouthed, 'he's waiting,' to his escort.
The person accompanying him had medium length black hair with two strands of bangs on either side and a stoic looking face. He was very well built and moved with confidence, and held a sense of familiarity though he couldn't put a name to match. He didn't feel like he knew the man, but his demeanour, his hair, hell, even his scent reminded him of someone. Who? Well hopefully he'd find out anon.
They continued moving through the building, this time through eerily silent hallways. He had never been in this type of building, but he was expecting something… different. Yelling, lamenting, sobbing, whispering, anything.
Lord knows Midgar was filled with enough psychotics to verbalize such actions. Yet, he was met with dead air. Amalgamated with the neutral coloured walls, more paintings of 'peaceful sceneries' and what seemed to be an umpteenth amount of doors, it was a unnerving, almost made the place convey the impression of a haunted house.
His escort stopped at a door, and strangely the name plate seemed to be missing as the other doors in the hallway had one suspended on. The man knocked before opening the door, gave the escortee a nod, and proceeded to leave.
He walked through the door slowly before closing it, and turned to gain a sense of his surroundings. The room was honey brown in color, and more pictures of landscapes decorated the room, this time being limned with flowers. Two windows were directly in front of him, illuminating the room along with overhead lights. On the right side of the room sat a man, who stood out on the bright pink couch as he wore a dark purple suit with a white undershirt and a black tie.
Who wore a purple suit he thought? If you're trying to look formal and businesslike, you might as well pick black. Still, he looked good. The dark colors matched well with his black spiky hair, dark blue eyes, and tanned skin.
"You're free to take a seat you know." The man said in a husky, almost amused voice. He moved his arm out to the couch opposite of his.
He obliged, and the man let out a small chuckle. "Don't mind the décor, I have a friend who obsesses over the state of the place. Besides, pink is a nice color, don't you think?"
Wondering what he was talking about, the man took another look around. On both ends of each couch laid a small wooden end table. On his side they held massive bouquet of what seemed to be recently picked flowers, and on the other mans side there were smaller vases with pictures that were peculiarly overturned. The room smelt nice, probably from the flowers and he felt a sense of repose, but he had a feeling it was purposely like that to create a blithe atmosphere.
A fake one at that.
Realizing he didn't answer, he croaked out a 'yes.'
The man turned to look at him with intentful eyes, "Do you know why you are here Mr…" he turned and looked at a clip board in his hands, "Cloud Strife?"
Cloud gulped and scratched an imaginary itch at his arm. "I'm forced to talk to you, even though I can't pay for this." He decided to add in for good measure. Make the man feel bad, maybe squirm a little. He inwardly grinned.
The man seemed disappointed in Clouds response. Well, that works too.
"Well, yes, but do you know why else you're here?" He inquired.
"I got into an accident and I am currently suffering a minor case of amnesia. There, is that a bit more precise for you?"
The man paused, obviously a little shook at the sudden venom. "Yes… yes it is. Well, we have a lot of ground to cover. Tell me about yourself."
"Blonde hair. Blue eyes. I'm twenty one years old. Eight inch dick. Need any more info? I'm sure you have it all anyways."
"Erm. Let me rephrase that. Tell me everything you remember, about your life. Right from the beginning, since you were a little kid. Places you've been, people you have met, big events in your life. Give me a good idea of how much you have recovered so far." The man was obviously trying to make sure he wouldn't crack under his own patients pressure.
He was right.
This was going to be fucking boring.
Cloud shifted a bit, trying to get more comfortable. There were two white pillows on the corners of the pink couch that Cloud took the opportunity to lean on one. Whoever had decorated the room certainly knew their colors.
Gay man obsessing over interior decorating. He barely concealed a laugh.
"Alright then. I was born in Nibelheim and raised by my single mother. She was a floozy, and once my father had skipped out on her as soon as he heard the news she was pregnant, she was shunned by the townsfolk. It's a real uptight backwater town - the religious type, I'm sure you get the idea. So she came here to Midgar when I was a toddler, you know, it being the 'Land of Opportunity' and she couldn't really balance a job and taking care of a baby when she first had me so she had to deal with the townsfolk for a little bit. We lived in an apartment in a terrible neighbourhood, and in fact, I still live there. We were broke. Well, she was broke. And now I am as well. Like mother like son."
In truth, he didn't mind living a life not filled with vanity. Most rich people were the three P's in his mind - prude, pompous, and pricks.
The man sat there, absorbing the information and writing something down on his clipboard. Who did he think he was writing something write in front of Cloud - that was obviously about him? He thought for a bit, probably drawing instead of actually writing. That earned himself another inward chortle.
"And where abouts does your mother live now?" He catechized.
"She's dead." Cloud stated blankly, to match his face, inspecting his nails, an almost insulting act considering he just spoke about his own deceased ilk.
The man just tilted his head apologetically. "My condolences."
"Thank you. That means so much to me." Cloud retorted. Maybe this wouldn't be so boring, this man was easy to play. He just met him but he seemed… too nice. Well, it was his job after all.
Ignoring him the man asked another question, "Did anyone else you know live in or around the apartment?" He sat there waiting for an answer, no - expecting an answer.
"There were two guys downstairs, one scrawny guy and a bigger man, named Biggs and Wedge I believe. Those two eventually became my main dealers. Next door to me there was an older couple, they were in their thirties I believe when I was growing up. They had a son - his name was Zack Fair I believe, but I don't remember too much about his appearance yet I remember a lot of things we've been through."
At that, the other man just frowned. "Please, continue."
"The old couples names I don't remember. I was good friends with Zack growing up and they were almost like my second parents, so I mostly just called em Ma and Pa. I don't know why they lived in the neighbourhood they were in. They weren't exactly poor, they had their own pet shop, still do I think. Plus they had their son to take care of growing up. Now that I really think about it, I have no idea why they live in that hell hole. Strangely enough though, even though mostly all of the apartments got vandalized or broken into at one point or another theirs always remained untouched. Those people were saints though."
The man grinned, seemingly in acknowledgement before poking further, "How did you and this 'Zack' meet?" The man asked.
Cloud stopped to think. When did they meet? It was at least fifteen years ago. Those were the days Cloud thought… wait.
He wasn't fucking fifty.
Growing up Cloud's mother barely paid attention to where he went - so he was free to pereginate where he pleased. About a week or so after they had moved into their shoddy apartment, Cloud went out to a nearby park as his mother had a customer over, and she loathed when he was present when she had company.
He seen a couple of kids playing near the swings and asked, "Can I go?"
One of the girls just held her nose, "Ewww this boy smells like cooooooooties!"
A little boy, unknown to Cloud's knowledge crouched behind him, when suddenly another boy came up and pushed him to the sandy grown, earning them a small whimper from the blonde.
"Dirty boy in the dirt, wight where he bewongs!" the boys chanted.
Five year old Cloud wasn't that bad he thought. He was wearing a plain white t-shirt that had a grease stain on the collar of the shirt. His blue knee-length shorts were obvious hand me downs that were all patched up and was covered in speckles of dirt. His blonde hair was knotty, unkempt, and the amount of grease was comparable of fresh cooked bacon.
In truth, five year old Cloud looked terrible.
Knowing he didn't belong, he hung his head down and went to sit on a teeter totter by his lonesome. He couldn't go home. His mom would yell at him like last time he stayed. It had been a week and already she had more customers than the seven days, and Cloud knew better than to get in the way of his mom and her work.
He was so lost in thought, too much thought for any five year old, that he didn't notice when the weight shifted on the teeter totter and he was vaulted up into the air. In automatic response, he let out a small, "Hey!"
Misunderstanding why exactly the little blonde boy said hey, the other little boy on the teeter totter replied, "Hi! What's your name?" He asked with a curious gaze.
Taken back by the random act of kindness, Cloud didn't respond at first, just gazed at the other child.
"Hello! I'm Zack! Are you thereeeeeeee?" He stressed, while continuing to pump his legs to lift the teeter totter.
Cloud mimicked the action. "S-sorry. I'm Cloud." He murmured.
Zack let out a childish laugh before asking, "Who are you here with Cloud?"
"Myself…"
Zack gasped, "Wow! My mommy and daddy would never let me do that! It must be so cool!"
Cloud frowned. No, it wasn't. It's not cool knowing your mother cares so little about you, that she probably lets you go out on your own free will probably hoping you get kidnapped or hurt so she has one less chip on her shoulder. Instead of saying something, Cloud shook his head to accompany the frown.
The older boy sensed Clouds discomfort and they sat in a bit of an awkward silence while continuing to rock up and down.
"So your names Cloud?" He asked, trying to change subject.
Cloud nodded curiously.
"That's a funny name! You look more like a chocobo than a Cloud!"
Cloud knew it. Of course he was like the others and ended up making fun of him. Just like when he first sat down on the teeter totter, he hung his head.
Zack's face immediately turned into one of concern. He hated seeing people upset, he was after all a normally cheery person. So he used the best remedy possible when someone is visibly upset:
Make a funny face and fart sounds with your tongue.
Sub consciously Cloud looked up into blue eyes and let a little giggle. Before he knew it he was in hysterics, and the teeter tottering came to a minor halt.
"You have a nice laugh Cloudy."
Cloud immediately put on a face of disdain at the nick name. "Cloudy? If you call me Cloudy, I'm going to call you…. Zacky. Yeah, Zacky!"
Zack grinned in return. "I like you Cloudy. Do you want to be friends?"
Clouds innocent blue eyes continued to stare into deep adventurous eyes before he realized he was staring in the first place.
"Yeah Zack. I'd like that."
When Cloud finished his story, he looked to study the man sitting across from him. His expression was clearly a mask, hiding certain emotions going through his head. "Alright, I think I got a picture. Now tell me, what was your childhood like? Did you do well in school? What were your friends like?"
Hmm. Quick change of subject.
At that Cloud let out a snort, "I can answer all three of those questions with one word - terrible. My mother consistently brought men back home, she was a street walker and a stripper after all. Sometimes they would beat her. Sometimes for whatever reason they would beat me. Sometimes a mix of them would beat me together. It usually depended on the alcohol intake" Cloud said casually, as if this was a dinner conversation.
"But mommy I'm hungry!"
"Then get some fucking food from the fridge! I'm busy, are you fucking blind?" Screamed a hoarse voice.
"Mommy there is none!"
Soon after words heavy foot steps were heard throughout the apartment and Clouds mother stood there, half naked towering over him. Without hesitating she back handed him cleanly across the face, leaving a pulsing red mark.
"If you want food, go mooch off of your annoying friend, otherwise go earn it yourself you little shit rat."
He immediately obliged, and ran out nearly tripping a pair of jeans on the floor.
Obviously he wouldn't be tripping on any toys on the ground.
Cloud crept his way upstairs, bare feet meeting a gray carpet that was caked with dirt and stains.
Zack had been waiting at his door when Cloud arrived and let him in with a fake smile on his face.
Cloud never realized the Fair's always heard the arguments. Always.
Ahh it was good times back then. Goooood times.
Cloud continued on about his childhood, "Food was scarce. I would eat more at the Fairs home than at mine, and stay there quite a bit as well. I didn't really have too much friends at school, but I did have Zack. He was always there, helping me, or at least attempting to help me with school work. If any of the other kids gave me trouble he would be there. If I had a bad day and went to his apartment, he would just to tell me about his day instead of asking me about mine to take things off my mind. Basically that's how it went down until high school."
The other man continued to stare at Cloud with wide eyes while simultaneously writing down on his clipboard. "Please, before then tell me a bit more about your childhood if you don't mind. What would you do when you went out to play? What did you and Zack do? Did you and Zack hang around constantly? Did you never ever hang around anyone else?" He pried.
Cloud smiled, conjuring up past memories. "A better question would be what wouldn't we do when we went out to play."
It was late evening. The sun was coming down, and Midgars night life was starting to sprout. Lights were starting to turn on, refulging the city. Some people were starting to retire for the night, others starting to come out to make their debut, Cloud and Zack being one of them after finishing up homework and eating.
This was Midgar at it's prime.
"Hey! Cloudy! I got a nice little adventure we could go on!"
Ten year old Cloud grumbled. "C'mon Zack, last time you said that we ended up in a dumpster hiding from shop keepers yelling at the air."
"Aww, you really need to have more faith in me Spike! That was just a one time deal - I swear! So what do ya say?" Zack exclaimed. Cloud swore that boy was always on the run, at least he behaved and was always in a hurry as such.
Cloud was still reluctant. "Let me hear you out first."
"You know old man Shinra's house? The really really big one in the middle of town?" Cloud nodded. "Well, I wanna see what's inside! You know, take a peek to see how the fancy shmancy people live. What'dya say Cloudy?"
"Zack, you do know there's massive pointy fences that are meant to keep people out surrounding the building?"
"Yes."
"And there's probably guard dogs?"
"Yes."
"And security?"
"Yes."
"And if we get caught we'll be in very big trouble!"
"Yes."
"Are you insane?"
"Yes! But I've said that enough times - it's your turn. And you know, I got a noogie with your name on it if you say no!"
Twenty minutes, and some ruffled spiky hair later, the bairns found themselves on the side of the mansion. It barely even looked like a mansion - it was made of metal and the entryway doors automatically opened. Along the insides of the spiked fence laid neatly trimmed hedges, and outside the gate was a single guard.
"What's your plan Zack?"
"Easy. Climb up the fence, fall into the bushes, run across to the vines, climb up to the balcony, and look around while playing a big game of hide and seek!"
Cloud held a face of sheer terror. "What the hell do we look like Zack? Ninjas? Did you have this whole thing planned out?"
Zacks cheeks went a bit rosy at the truth, "Maybe…"
Cloud let out an exasperated sigh, "I change my mind Zack. This is too insane."
Zack grinned before immediately leaping up and climbing up the fence yelling, "Last one there is a rotten egg! Cmon Clouuuuuudy!"
"Zack! Wait!" Cloud didn't know what to do. He knew it was nuts - but could he leave his best friend to go on the suicide trip alone?
His legs apparently said yes, as he started to sprint after his friend. They ran through sprinklers, apparently something Zack forgot to mention, soaking each of their bodies and making climbing the waxy vines a more challenging task than it should have been.
Once Cloud had reached the top, he was greeted with a familiar grin. "Fancy meeting you here Cloud."
That earned Zack a glare.
"Hmm." Zack peeked in through the balcony doors, "Seems like this is Shinra's son's room. Seems empty, let's go in!" And before Cloud could object, Zack opened the door to the balcony and the door to the hallway outside the bedroom and motioned for Cloud to follow.
Cloud stepped out into the hall and was greeted with a magnificent sight. They were stepping on a luscious blue carpet, accented by the mansions metallic silver walls. Big bright gilded lights laid overhead, illuminating the hallway. Portraits of Mr. Shinra adorned the hallway, essentially ruining the regal feel and look of the place.
Cloud let out a humph. "Somebody thinks a bit highly of themselves…"
"Yeah, no doubt." Zack responded, "Cmon, we still got a lot more to see!"
They sneaked their way through the house, being cautious to open doors while avoiding servants and Shinras son, Rufus. Through one particular door, they seen the 'big cheese' himself, enjoying a hot tub, his back thankfully turned against them.
The last thing they wanted to see was a disgruntled face and a dilated stomach staring at them.
"When he's working hard like that, makes you wonder how he got so much money…" Zack murmured.
Cloud was just about to respond when he felt a slim hand on his shoulder. Immediately he whipped back only to be face to face with a young Wutain man with short black hair that was bundled in a pony tail, and in the middle of his forehead was a tilaka. He glanced at Zack, who shared the same face of horror as he did.
The man held a large grin. "Hello. May I be of assistance?"
The man held an amused smile. "What happened next?" He inquired.
"A bit fuzzy, but I think we were brought to old man Shinra and proceeded to get yelled at. Typical Zack though took all of the blame, though they weren't buying it. We were escorted home by the Wutain man. Zack told me his parents gave him a spanking. My mom and her punter decided to give me more then a few bruises." Cloud still held the same stoic face as when he walked into the room.
The man looked down apologetically.
"Alright then," He started after a bit of an awkward silence, "Why don't we move on to your teenage years?" He asked with an encouraging smile.
Cloud nodded, "That was basically when my life started… or ended sort to speak. By eighth grade, me and Zack had drifted apart a bit. Mostly because of me… and that's around the time I met a boy named Reno. He was kind of like me, lived a bad life, single whore, or pardon me, mother, and he even lived a couple blocks down from me. He introduced me to cigarettes, you know, like what all the 'cool kids' were doing. We started going out partying as well, and I don't mean simple high school parties. These were 'back room' parties, and I lost my virginity at one of them. I continued to do worse in school, just barely getting by. I got a job at a local McDonalds as a cashier, so I at least had that going for me."
Cloud paused and looked at the man across the room hesitantly.
"Yes, Cloud?"
"Do you mind if I light up? Talking about darts made me realize how long it's been since I've had one…"
Zack sighed. "Yeah, that's fine. But pull a chair and sit at the window please. If my friend walks in here and smells the smoke, she won't hesitate to beat me up."
Cloud smiled at the thought of a woman beating someone up like the man that sat in front of him while he got up. "Yeah, you seem like a pushover."
"No, I just swear she's on steroids or something! Anyways, please, continue."
Seated and cigarette in hand, Cloud got right back into his story, "In eleventh grade my mother was gang raped and left for dead in an alley right next to our apartment. It might sound terrible, but I wasn't too down about it. I had a job at a McDonalds, I was good to go."
Yeah, living the real golden life he thought.
"The Fairs offered me a place to stay but I refused, whether if it was out of pride or because I didn't want to be a burden I didn't know." Cloud took a deep puff before continuing, "That's…. when Reno introduced me to my own neighbours, Biggs and Wedge."
"Your, um, dealers?" The man stammered.
"Yes." Cloud took another puff before continuing, "Reno said he had to show me one of the most amazing things he's ever done in his life. And truthfully, even in the situation I'm in now, I would describe it the exact same way."
"Hey, this isn't one of your parties Reno." Cloud said. "This is just two guys in a measly apartment. My measly apartment at that…" How else would you describe it? One of the front doors had a missing window ever since he moved in for fuck sakes.
The apartment he and Reno were in was of little difference compared to his. There was a tiny kitchen with a wooden table that had probably been thrown out before, and covered in a white powder. Flour he thought.
He laughed inwardly at that thought.
Where Reno had led them was a small living space, two men were sitting on a burlap couch that had a cheesy beige checkered pattern with a tiny telly across from it. Sitting on the couch was a skinny man wearing a green uniform who was apparently named Biggs, and beside him was a jolly sized man with a yellow shirt named Wedge.
Heh, they should switch their names around.
Both had red bandanas on. He noticed their eyes had big black bags as they lazed their way onto Cloud, and their pupils were massive.
Reno smirked, "Nuh-uh yo. These two got the 'fix'. Yo, guys, hook us up with a railway to heaven puh-lease!" Oh Reno. Always the excited one…
Biggs immediately took a broken shard of what appeared to once be a mirror and made a perfect, professional, line of white powder.
Reno slouched over and begun to sink his head. Cloud followed suit - immediately pulling back when he first sniffed but going back in, trying to beat Reno.
Trying to beat someone at sniffing cocaine? Yeah, that oughta make the average momma proud.
Nevertheless, Cloud felt fucking amazing. He was on a high like no other - the buzz of drinking or smoking didn't even come close to comparing to this. Right away he went back in, wanting more of the euphoric feeling when he lifted his head to hear the two men chuckling.
"Looks like the little blondie loves the stuff, eh Wedge?"
"Mmm sure does Biggs…" They both stared hungrily at Cloud who was staring back with wide blue eyes.
Getting an idea, Cloud put on a grin and let out a tiny moan, "Mmm you two look like you wanna fuck."
The bigger man, Wedge let out a wheeze, "Heh, no way kid. Yer a bit too young."
Clouds smile didn't falter at all. "Oh Reno, isn't that a shame?" He cocked his head in a sexy way, "I'm getting really, really hot, how about you?" He rasped out huskily, while leaning forward and nibbling on Reno's ear.
Reno smirked in return, "Better get that shirt off shouldn't we then Cloudy?" He asked, but was already starting the said action. Immediately they were both shirtless and making out hungrily in front of the two grown men. Lapping at each other's mouths like sloppy drunk girls, groping and grinding each other and tugging at each others hair.
Reno pushed Cloud onto the ground and straddled him, continuing to suck on his tongue and undoing the boys belt and throwing it across the room. Cloud was mimicking Reno's actions and grabbing his ass while he felt his cock spring to life tenting his jeans. The two were about to get up and take off their jeans, only to be interrupted by Biggs clearing his throat.
"Never mind. Let's fuck. Right. Now."
The man continued to write on his clip board. It was his job to try to keep a stoic face, but it was hard throughout the blondes story. He just seemed so nonchalant about his past…
"Do you remember what happened next?"
Cloud put out his butt and moved back onto the pink couch, this time choosing to lay his head down and kick his feet up on the armrest. "Barely. It was kind of a haze. Well, it pretty much was literally a haze. After some sex that looking back now, was probably only good because of the continuous lines of the good candy, Reno left and I got thrown out of the apartment. After that I don't really remember. I couldn't really move. But I woke up in my apartment with Zack sitting on a chair beside me. He had skipped school just to watch over me…" Cloud paused, deep in thought and folded his hands across his chest. Remembering everything now, made him realize just how much Zack had done for him.
Well, that is what these sessions were for.
"Do you know how he got there?" The man asked.
Cloud gave him a 'are you dumb' look. "Pretty sure I clearly said I don't remember much. He always goes out for a morning run, probably found me then. He asked what happened, but I just told him I had a rough night. That was what my whole week consisted of. Going to Biggs' and Wedges' place and getting high, with Zack coming to collect me. He didn't stay with me all day though, but he started asking more and more questions that I just ignored."
"Why didn't you tell him the truth?"
Cloud had to appraise that question. Why didn't he tell him the truth?
"I don't know… Zack is just one of those people you hate to disappoint because you can't stand seeing him sad with those puppy dog eyes." Cloud let out a bit of a sadistic smile to match his next words, "But I can't really say that considering I quit school that week."
"And why did you do that?"
Cloud continued to look at the man dumbly and begun tapping his foot on the edge of the couch impatiently. He hadn't realized he still had his shoes on and the couch was starting to get a bit dirty. Perhaps he should cover it with the pillow so no one noti - what the fuck was he thinking?
"Why would I stay? I was failing anyways, I probably had two credits. I had a job. Had my own place. Plus I had a neighbour who gave me the works. There was no reason for me to go to school." Cloud paused, but instead of looking at the figure across from him looked up to the ceiling before quietly speaking, "Besides… it was Zack's last year. He was two years older than me after all."
Why are the lights so bright? Cloud asked himself as he woke up befuddled. He was in a familiar room. His room, to be exact.
Oh. Must have been following what Cloud now considered his daily routine. Get high, go to work, eat, get high, wake up under Zack's care. He didn't remember when the last time he went to school was, let alone the day of the week. T'was a good life. Except for it being so god damn bright…
He turned to see eyes staring down sadly at him.
"You know Cloud, it's my last week of school…" He started. Cloud had an idea how this was going to end. "And I'm graduating in a week." It was already June? Time flies when you're having fun. Or at the very least when you have no idea the fuck is going on in your life. Yeah, that must be it.
"Are you listening?" Zack questioned. Cloud responded with a nod. "Hmm, okay. After that, I'm going to university for a couple of years you know. It won't be that long since I took some dual credit college classes in high school."
Cloud rolled over in his bed. "Okay, have fun. Just be back before midnight okay honey?"
Zack spoke softly, "Cloud?" All he got in response was a snore. In turn all Cloud got was his bedroom door being shut quietly.
"Yo, Cloud! Get the fuck up! It's go time and I seriously need to get my draaaank on!" Reno exclaimed while straddling Cloud, slapping his cheeks lightly.
"Mmm Reno. It's too early."
"Early? It's fucking 8:00 pm! And there's going to be some MAJOR prom after parties that we HAVE to hit up!"
"But Renooo, I don't want to go to any teeny boppy parties."
"Hey! They're graduates - technically they are now adults!'
"Fine. Got any booze?"
Reno's mouth turned into a simper, knowing he would win. "Always."
"Um, yeah Reno you dumb fuck. You didn't mention the party was at Rufus Shinras house!"
"Details Cloud, details! Just act dumb and preppy and you'll fit right in. Basically - be yourself."
"Fuck you." Cloud wasn't exactly the epitome of prep. Dumb, certainly. He would only be considered preppy if ratty old clothes and a depressed attitude ever became mainstream.
Reno waved his finger before scolding, "Tsk tsk Cloudy. We're in public, control yourself!"
Cloud just rolled his eyes.
The first thing Cloud did when he got inside was pour himself some vodka and cranberry. His motto was after all, go hard or go home.
About five or so drinks later, he heard a voice, "Hey, who are you?"
Cloud turned around to see a pretty little thing. She had shoulder length brown hair that was straight except for being curled at the ends, obviously done for prom. She was wearing a skimpy yellow dress, apparently she wanted to get her party on too fast to change into something more appropriate. Everything was fine except for one thing.
She had a major case of butter face… ah well. Fuck it, Cloud was drunk.
He put his hand around her waist and inched her closer to test the waters. She obliged and immediately stuck her tongue down his throat. She tasting Clouds vodka, he tasting her rye and what appeared to be Pepsi. Nice combo he thought.
Zack had spotted Cloud, though he had no idea what he was doing here. He looked to be talking to a girl so he went up to talk to him before he realized what Cloud was doing.
"Heyy Spiky, whatcha doin - oh, s-sorry." He blushed.
Cloud did a three-sixty and giggled. Wops he thought. Had a bit more to drink than he thought….
He corrected himself and turned straight around facing Zack and put his arms around his neck, "Mmm Zack fancy meeting you here huh? You smell soooo good Zack, teach me how to smell nice like youuuu..."
Zack slowly unhooked Clouds arms from around his neck. He had never partied with Cloud. Honestly, a part of him never really wanted to either. From what he could tell by taking care of Cloud after a particularly long night, he got… affectionate to say the very least.
The brunette stomped her foot before articulating, "Hmph. Knew you two were doing each other." And stormed off.
Zack ignored her. "Do you want to go home Spiky?"
"Mmm nooo Zack. Baby I just wannna daaaaaaaaance I don't really caaaaaaaaaaare I just wannnaaa daaaaaaaaance I don't really caaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaare." He started, singing completely off tune to the music and turned away from Zack to some innocent bystander behind him and started grinding.
That bystander just so happened to be the man of the house himself - Rufus Shinra.
Zack was certain the pompous asshole was going to freak out on Cloud, but quite the opposite happened really. Rufus reached around and grabbed a handful of ass as he divulged into Cloud's mouth.
Zack sighed. He was really hoping he could talk to Cloud since he was… sleeping earlier. So he pulled him away and started dragging him out to his car.
"Heyyyyyy Zack. I was having fun!" The blonde whined. "I wanted to dance. We should dance Zack. I bet your hips don't stop!"
Zack smiled. Maybe drunk Cloud wasn't so bad? Sober Cloud sure wasn't like this.
At the apartment Zack dragged Cloud to his bed and sat down on the familiar chair. At least he knew tonight Cloud would only have alcohol in his system.
"Cloud, you there?"
"Yes Zack. I'm not tired at all…" He let out before a yawn betrayed him. Damn bed, it's like once you're in they cast a sleep spell.
"I have to leave tomorrow Cloud. The plane to Junon, which is where the university I'm attending is at is at a discount price tomorrow since it's before school officially ends. And you know I don't like to bug my parents for money."
At the news Cloud both sobered and woke up. "T-tomorrow? Zack you can't!" He pleaded. "I know we haven't been talking much lately but… I've known you forever. This apartment wouldn't be the same without you…"
"I know Cloud. But it's not forever, only a couple years. Plus I can still visit over the holidays."
Cloud knew he could be a pest, but it would annoy himself later on and probably make Zack feel worse. He really didn't want that on his conscience. "Can you stay here with me for the night?"
Zack was taken by surprise. Although they had been friends forever, they had never slept in the same bed. He didn't know if it was the alcohol talking, but he highly doubted it. Cloud looked sincere.
Cloud read his face and smiled, "I don't mean that you dummy. I just want you to stay and leave when you get up. Don't say good bye… otherwise I won't leave you alone. Please Zack."
Zack let out a sigh and crawled in next to Cloud, being sure to keep his distance, "Okay, I understand."
"Good night Zack."
"Good night Cloud."
"Zack?"
"Yeah Cloud?"
"I don't bite."
"And I've only seen him once since then."
"You don't have to tell me about that now." The man said. "I think a break is warranted now. Do you want something to eat or drink?"
"No thanks. Just another butt." He said as he moved towards the window once again.
It was the afternoon now. The sun was heating up the room to an uncomfortable temperature, and Midgars smog was in full effect. Cloud didn't even really see the difference of opening the window - the smog entering the room smelt just as bad as the nicotine fumes.
There was a knock on the door, and without warning it opened and closed.
Cloud scouted the intruder, and seen a beautiful lady with brown hair and green eyes. She was wearing a pink dress with a red jacket, and brown boots. Her hair was laced with a nice bright pink bow that matched the dress. Actually, the pinks were the exact same color as the couches, and she was holding a bouquet of flowers.
"Hi -"
"HEYYY!" The man quickly interrupted. "Nice to see you Aerith." He said more lightly, while waving her over.
The woman, apparently named Aerith eyed the room and spotted Cloud. Understanding she walked over to the man and he whispered something, and she nodded.
"Alright then, Mr. Hewley." She winked.
Unexpectedly, Cloud burst into laughter. If there was anyone in the other rooms beside theirs - they must of heard it, it was so loud. It echoed within the tiny room, until he regained some composure.
"Was it something I said?" She asked innocently.
"Oh, not at all. It's just that I haven't realized I've been telling this man all about my life and he's not once told me his name." He said while taking a long puff. Cloud always loved the start of a new cigarette.
Aerith let out a small giggle. She really wasn't surprised that the man would be too excited to mention his name. "Well aren't you the disrespectful one!" She said while waving a finger in the mans face.
"See. Told you she could beat me up!" Mr. Hewley stated with a mock grin, feinting a back hand over his forehead as if to admit defeat.
"So you're the one who decorates the place then?" Cloud inquired. Aerith nodded her head. "You've done a really good job. It's pretty, just like you I might add." He let out with a smile while taking another drag.
A small blush crept up on her cheeks. She knew she was a damn fine decorator, but she deep down she also loved being praised. She moved to replace the old flowers in a vase on an end table. "Thank you.. C-" She stopped herself before thinking, "I didn't quite catch your name."
"Cloud."
"What a pretty name!"
He scoffed. Isn't that masculating, having your name being called pretty. Perhaps he should help her decorate next time and frolic in a field of flowers chortling.
She smiled. "Well, I should probably get going now. You two are obviously busy."
"It's fine." Both heads in the room turned to Cloud, a bit surprised. "This guys a bit dull, I could use another body in the room."
She turned to face Mr. Hewley, who seemed to be only a little offended at the comment. "Is that alright with you?"
"Um, yeah. You almost done there Cloud?"
Five minutes later they were all settled in, had used the washroom facilities, filled Aerith in a bit, and were ready to continue.
"So where did you two leave off exactly?" Aerith canvassed.
"Right when Zack had left for university."
"Right. Zack."
"Right."
"Right." Both heads turned to Hewley.
"Sorry." He said while scratching behind his head, "Just trying to fit in with the cool kids."
"Cloud, get the fuck out of bed yo! All you've been doing is sleeping in since that guy left!" Reno came charging in unannounced.
"Mmmphh. Comfy…." He mumbled in reply.
"C'mon yo, you've already got up to go to work I'm sure you can get up to hang out with your good ol' buddy! I want to check out this new bar called 7th Heaven! Apparently this chick with massive tits works there, wanna see if I can get it in!"
"That's nice Reno but - hey! Let go of me!" Reno continued to pull on Clouds arms until he was slouched off the bed and hit the floor with a thud, blanket in tow.
"Fine. Let me take a shower first…"
Twenty minutes later they were walking to the 7th Heaven. It was around 11:00 pm, so it was sure to be busy. It was built about five or so blocks away from Clouds apartment, so the walk didn't take all that long.
To Cloud, that just meant a close place to get drunk.
Cloud had told himself that tonight he was going to take it easy. That he only came here to appease Reno.
Well, what Cloud told himself and what Cloud did were two different things.
He started out light, just drinking a couple of coolers. Then he started to smoke which made him want to drink more, and he also begun to realize it was so long since he felt the silky smooth liquid called vodka caress his throat. Not to mention the bar they were at, to put it blatantly, was boring as fuck. It was pretty red neckish, even the bartender that Reno was chatting with, who must've been at least a d cup seemed pretty dull.
The sound of flesh smacking flesh woke Cloud up from his daze, and he turned to see Reno grinning with a red hand print on his cheek.
"Yo Cloudy, let's blow this place it's soooo boring. Plus toots over there is a poor sport." He said, almost too confidently for someone who just got turned down.
The woman just shook her head and started to wipe down the counter.
"Not tonight Reno. I think I'm just going to stay here and drink if you don't mind."
"Cloudyyy you're so woeful! I just want to have fuuun with you!"
"Today's Wednesday right? Well, I guess Thursday now. We can do something Sunday if you want, I'm off then." Cloud tried to encourage Reno. If he didn't he knew he would just get dragged out of bed again.
"Fine. Have, um, fun then yo. I know I will." And he was off.
Cloud waved the bartender over, "A refill please."
She obliged before giving him a once over. He looked a bit familiar to her, "Your hair…" She didn't even realize she spoke the words out. "Where are you from?" She piqued.
Cloud looked up to see wine coloured eyes staring down at him. How ironic Cloud thought as he inwardly grinned.
"Nibelheim. Why do you want to know?"
"I think I remember you. Well, your hair at least… wasn't your mother the…" She trailed off, not wanting to offend someone she's never spoken to before.
"Yes." He stated and gulped down the last of his drink. "Refill please."
"You're drinking too fast -"
"Refill please."
"I just refilled it though, are you sure?"
"Refill please."
She sighed and obliged. "Your friend is… interesting."
Cloud just scoffed. That's a nice way to put it. "I don't want to talk to anyone right now. Thanks."
The girls face turned into a very visibly offended one that she didn't try to hide at all.
She let out a 'humph' and went back to washing the counter.
A couple drinks later, Cloud stumbled out of the bar and started walking. Where, he didn't exactly know, his legs seemed to have a mind of his own. In the background he could hear dogs barking, and a police siren off in the distance. A homeless man asked him for money, but he just ignored him.
T'was a typical Midgar night, really.
Cloud stopped in front of massive, run down wooden doors. The wood was rotting, but somehow at the same time appeared to be taken care of. Carefully he opened them and he realized it was an abandoned church. Wooden pews were thrown about, once allocated to face the center. He seen a small field of flowers that looked so pretty - and as if they had a mind of their own his legs started walking towards them.
And then there was blackness.
Cloud stopped telling his story and looked up to the woman who was still organizing bits of out of place furniture.
"You…"
"Hm?" She asked. Her face however held a knowing expression.
"When I woke up, you were there… you were calling out, 'hello!'"
"So you remember… well that's good!" She exclaimed, clapping her hands together.
"Yes… I didn't stay very long though did I?" He asked.
"No, I believe you had work or something. You didn't say anything to me actually…" With such a statement you would've expected the girl to hold a more offensive looking face, but it was more of a sad one.
"Umm, sorry…" Cloud apologized. "What a coincidence you know this guy then, eh?"
"Yeah… crazy coincidence."
Sensing some awkward tension in the room, the older man spoke up, "Why don't you tell us the next time you saw Zack?"
"The next time I saw Zack after he went to university, was the last time."
Cloud was sleeping in his bed when he felt hands rumpling his hair. "Mmmph, go away Reno!"
There was a deep voice, "I think me and Reno have a couple of differences, but nice try!"
Immediately Cloud lifted his head up to look at blue eyes, "Z-Zack? What are you doing here?" He barely grumbled out.
Zack grinned, "It's Christmas in a few days silly! I came to see my folks, and you of course. I just came by to say hi and see if we could do something later. I'm only here for a week…"
"I can't, I have plans with Reno." Cloud lied. He didn't want Zack to see the state he was in. His apartment was full of alcohol bottles, condom wrappers, and under his mattress were bags of cocaine.
Yeah, he definitely wasn't doing anything with Zack today.
Zack frowned and turned to look at Cloud. He didn't look well at all. He had big black bags under his eyes, and his hair was slick from grease. He smelt terrible, Zack had to admit and he seemed very skinny, almost borderline anorexic.
"Are you alright Cloud? You don't look to good."
Cloud feigned a smile, "I'm fine Zack. I just got off work so I'm a bit tired… and smell and look gross. We could do something later on in the week if you want. You should go see your parents. When are you leaving?"
Well that was a relief for some of the accounts. Cloud had always been a bit vapid though when it came to his own appearance. Zack found it strange, considering he barely had the money to look good.
"Next Friday."
Cloud feigned a smile while getting out of bed. "We'll do something then Zack."
Please go now. Please go now. Pleeease.
"You only want to do something on my last day here…?" Zack frowned.
Cloud nodded. "Sorry Zack, I'm pretty busy lately is all."
Zack nodded, unassuringly. "Alright. Bye Cloud."
He didn't get a response.
Cloud felt like a dick, but he would've felt worst if Zack had to see how he lived his life. Like a typical Midgar junkie.
Quite the role model for young children at this point in the cities stage, really.
When Friday came around, Cloud had only seen Zack and that was passing through his apartment in a drunken stupor. Typical Zack tried to help, but Cloud had just shooed him away.
Not to mention Cloud had completely forgot about the plans he had made with Zack.
When Cloud had gotten off work he came home to see Reno doing some lines, as he usually did whenever he came to 'see' Cloud.
Reno's baggy eyes looked up to Cloud before he stuttered out, "Hey, Cloudyyy, there's a WILD fucking party tonight, and it's just a few blocks down."
Cloud smiled. He had a bad day today at work, he could use some unwinding. "Who's throwing?"
"Fucking Fabulous Freddy. You know what that means dontcha Cloudy?"
Cloud rolled his eyes. Of course he did. "There's going to be a lot of smushing going on."
Reno grinned, but it was hidden by his bowed head on the table, sniffling. "Mmm, yes Cloudy. It's been soo long since I've been with a man too… us men just know how fuck mhm."
Cloud sighed in amusement while getting ready to shower the grease off from a gruelling day of working at McDonalds. Fucking glamorous life.
"Does that mean you're going to give up on that bartender girl?"
"Almost. The bar may be boring, but she ain't." He said while subconsciously rubbing his cheek. She had managed to place her hand there more than a few times since his first visit, and not in the way Reno would've liked.
And on the wrong cheek.
Once they had arrived to the party, it had already started and the place was packed, mostly with men. There was loud music, lots of alcohol, and Cloud's favourite, an abundance of the nose candy.
By the time two hours passed, Cloud was completely sloshed. He had no idea what the bigger number was - the amount of lines he did, the amount of bathroom trips he took, or the amount of tongues shoved down his throat.
Guess I'll have to bring a tally chart next time, Cloud thought amusingly to himself.
He felt a tap on his shoulder and turned to face Reno, who seemed to be in an equal state as him. "H-H-Heyyyyyyyyyyyy Cloudyyyyy! A few guys I met are lookin for a nice piece to divulge in, wanna go back to your place yoooo?" It seemed like it had taken a whole minute for Reno to get that sentence out.
Cloud grinned. "You know it."
The walk back to his apartment, was quite frankly, embarrassing. There were seven well built men with Reno and Cloud, who had to help the two up consistently as they were only a bit tipsy. They must've fallen at least ten times each, including face first into a pole.
Someone literally could've told a joke starting with, "So this guy walks into this bar…"
As soon as they entered Cloud's apartment, everybody was kissing everybody, clothes were coming off, and Clouds kitchen table was cleared. Cloud was undressed at this point, and with help was flopped onto his back on the kitchen table while being prepared with a few fingers as they started scissoring. Reno laid beside receiving the same treatment, and the other six now-naked men in the room were beginning to stroke themselves to hardness and put a condom on.
As soon as he was ready, Cloud was swiftly penetrated and he let out a moan. He moved his hands up, feeling well chiselled abs before resting on shoulders to push himself further down. The man started thrusting in and out and the blonde let out a moan.
Right when the front door to his apartment opened, Cloud screamed, "Yeeeees! Fuck me senseless pleaaaaaase!"
Zack stepped in, mouth going ajar. He seen Cloud and Reno, on their backs on the table getting their brains fucked out - Cloud obviously verbally enjoying it. Surrounding them were five other men, obviously patiently waiting their turn. The icing on the cake was the bottle of alcohol and the white powder that decorated the table.
Everyone in the room turned to stare at Zack, who was having a staring competition of sorts with Cloud.
"Are you here to join us? Gotta wait in line bud." Said one of the waiting men.
Zack closed the door behind him.
After what seemed an eternity Cloud yelled out, "FUCK. FUCK ." And immediately proceeded to get dressed, ignoring the protests. He ran out of his apartment and upstairs to the Fairs house and knocked on the door like a mad man.
Zack's mother opened the door, with a somber gaze. "Yes, son?"
"Is Zack here?" He didn't think it possible to sound any more desperate.
"No sweetie. He just left after he went to see you."
Cloud hung his head. "Ma, I… I messed up." He mused as he ran a hand through his hair.
"Come in sweetie. You can stay here for the night, you don't have to tell me anything."
Typical Fair.
"You said you never seen Zack again." The man across from him started, "But what about when he finished school?"
"He moved out of the apartment and got his own place. I don't know where he is or what he does now…" Cloud said glumly. He moved back to the window, and started to light up a cigarette. The sun was starting to set, giving the room an orange glow and basking the residents in it's heat as if in an attempt to warm up everyone's mood. "But from there on out that's what my life consisted of, and as far as I know still does. Fucking, drinking, working, and getting high." Cloud continued to smoke his cigarette as a bit of quiet took place.
"The next big thing that happened to me is… you know. The crash." Cloud said, after what seemed to be an eternity of silence.
"Do you want to take another break?" Aerith asked, sensing the gloomy mood of the room.
"No. Let's get this over with."
Cloud and Reno arrived at what was probably one of the biggest parties they've been to yet.
It was Rufus Shinras birthday.
Since his father had passed away, Rufus Shinra had become quite the party animal, hosting a plentiful amount of 'social events' as he would call them. Anyone was invited, and an open house in Midgar was close to a death sentence.
Not like Rufus would have to clean his own shit up though. He had maids for that.
Really though Rufus was just looking to unwind after so many years of dealing with such an uptight father.
Although there was a bar where you could mix your own drinks - Cloud decided to just drink straight from the bottle tonight.
He was planning on getting completely fucked up tonight. Happy birthday, you prosperous fuck.
Cloud couldn't help but notice Reno was talking to a voluminous bald man wearing sun glasses, even though they were indoors. The fuck did the guy think he was?
It was kind of a bit uncharacteristic of Reno, he generally seemed to like his men skinny, and, well, feminine. Cloud often wondered if his friend was actually bisexual or just really loved to get it in, regardless of gender.
"Who you starin at, blondie?" Asked a gruff voice.
Cloud turned to see a man who appeared to be a little over six feet tall. He had buzz cut black hair accented with green eyes. His face was a bit pudgy, and it seemed that was what his whole body was like but Cloud couldn't really complain. He was practically a skeleton, anyone could seem big compared to him.
He wasn't really attractive, but Cloud decided to play along, "Mmm, staring at you now." He winked while leaning back against a wall, allowing his v-neck to stretch and show some more skin.
The gruff man licked his lips in response before letting out a low growl, "Who ya goin home with blondie?"
"Why don't you tell me?" Was Cloud's reply.
The mans face lit up in a coy grin at the response. "Follow me." He said as he took Cloud's hand and led him to the parking lot where a shoddy truck was. He got in and Cloud followed suit.
"And you know what happens next. Not a very long story, but yeah."
The man finished writing on his clipboard and rubbed at his brows out of tiredness. "What happened when you woke up from the crash?" He asked.
"The police came. I wasn't really harmed, my head was the only thing that got injured and suffered a little bit of bleeding and a concussion along with the amnesia. The driver wasn't wearing a seatbelt and got ejected from the vehicle, and was instantly killed. From there I was hospitalized and the day I was released the man who escorted me here said police details were already worked out and the hospital bill paid. Then he said he was going to pick me up two days later and bring me here, again already paid. I have no idea who he is though. Is he the one who paid?"
"No." Said the man.
"Can you tell me who did?"
"It's confidential, sorry." He finished writing on his clipboard and put it down before asking. "At the beginning you said you couldn't remember what Zack looked like. Do you now?"
"No… but I'm sure if I seen a picture or something of him I'd remember." Cloud replied somberly.
"I see. Well, we're done. You seem to remember everything and are free to go. I'll call the person who brought you here to bring you home."
Five minutes later the man who brought Cloud here entered the room. "Are you finished?"
Cloud nodded, said a quiet farewell to Aerith and they left.
When Cloud was in front of him, the escort exchanged a look with the man in the purple suit.
Clearly things didn't go the way he wanted.
Once they left the room Aerith spoke up, "So is that it? He doesn't have total amnesia so he's free to go and probably die from alcohol poisoning, overdose, or from not eating a damn thing? I wasn't here for the whole thing but you can't honestly let him go!"
The man didn't say anything. He just started packing up and prepared to go home after the session.
"Fine. But you'll probably end up getting far more hurt than he does in the end you know." She scolded.
He knew she was right. She was always fucking right. Sometimes he wondered who exactly had the job with the human psyche.
When Cloud got back to his apartment, the first thing he did was pull out a bottle of vodka and a bag that consisted of his escape from reality. He took a swig and lowered his head.
His body immediately filled with an euphoric feeling, followed a burning as he guzzled another drink.
Why had the day made him so uneasy and upset? He knew he lived a terrible life, he knew he still lived a terrible life. That never really brought him down
Maybe this is what he needed. To recount all of the dumb shit he went through. But that couldn't be it. He was faced with that reality every single fucking day as soon as he walked into this apartment.
No. It was something else, and the feeling was especially lit up like a flame when the woman came in smiling for absolutely no reason. She was in a place where people confessed their secrets, what trials they've went through in life, and some of Midgars biggest whack jobs, with or without money and she came in with a smile.
No, it was because it felt a sense of caring in the room. That people were actually listening to him with good intentions. It was quite a foreign idea to Cloud.
…One more quaff and line he told himself.
And that's all it took before he was met with a familiar blackness.
By the time he closed his office, went home, showered, and ate, three hours had already passed. His office just wouldn't let him go, and quite frankly, he was pissed off at that.
When he was ready to leave, he got in his car and started driving to the familiar apartment. He knocked on Cloud's door and received no response. He knocked again and finally opened it, noticing it was unlocked.
The kitchen was the same as ever. In front of the door was a scratched table, that now had a wobbly leg. It was as small as two end tables put together.
But apparently big enough for two grown men to lay down on…
The sink had rusty taps and virtually no signs of dishes or any use at all really. The wooden cupboards were littered with dust, and some of the cupboard doors were missing.
Did Cloud even eat at all?
He moved to the living room, which the name did not suit the sight he seen. The room was literally empty. All there was were white walls and a window. Knowing where Cloud must be, he started to march towards his room and opened the door, his face turning to panic at the sight he seen.
Crouching over the bed with a bottle of vodka in hand was Cloud, face first in a pile of white powder. The man quickly rushed over brushing the other mans face off and checked his pulse.
Still alive.
Not knowing exactly what to do, he started calling out, "Cloud! Cloud!" He was reluctant to do so, but he lightly started tapping at the other mans cheeks, hoping for some type of reaction.
Blue eyes slowly started to open. Clouds pupils were as big as his eyes.
He was fucking out of it.
"Cloud are you alright? Talk to me, please!" The man begged like a stereotypical movie as he lightly shook the blonde.
The blonde regained some consciousness as he looked at the man in front of him before barely whispering one word.
"Zack?"